Snoqualmie is a Coastal Salish word meaning "moon," and the Indian tribe was called "People of the Moon."

Along with Snoqualmie Falls, the city is home to the Northwest Railway Museum. The Museum owns a historic depot and operates a historic tourist railway in the city.

The Snoqualmie River has wild runs of many types of salmon, including chinook, chum and pink, along with one of the largest coho runs in the Northwest.